April 2024

Especially with compact cars, transporting the wheels to change the tyres poses a greater challenge, as the wheels cannot be transported lying down in the boot for space reasons. In many cases, the wheels are therefore placed upright next to each other in the load compartment and the rear seat is released in its lock, as otherwise the tailgate cannot be closed.

As practical as this procedure is, however, it can also be dangerous: The rear bench can fall over and the wheels roll against or between the front seats even in the event of minor unevenness or braking. This is not only an enormous distraction for the driver, it also increases the risk of injury. To illustrate this, the AZT showed recordings of a normal ride as well as of a crash test. You can see the results in the video at the end of the page.

The transport of unsecured wheels inside a passenger car can not only be dangerous but may also not comply with the legal requirements in your country. At least for your own safety the goods in a vehicle must be secured in such a way that they can’t slip, fall over, roll back and forth or fall down even in the event of emergency braking or sudden evasive movement. The approved technical rules must be obeyed.

 The following points must therefore be observed when transporting wheels in passenger cars:

Either you place the wheels in the hold and lash them individually or you place them upright next to each other in the hold and pull a lashing strap through the lashing eyes of the vehicle and centrally through the rims.

The securing must be carried out with suitable lashing straps (GS symbol, undamaged, sufficient tensile force).

The maximum tensile force of the belts is given in daN (decanewton). As a rule of thumb, the value of the tensile force in daN should be 25 times higher than the mass of the load in kg. An example of the lashing of four wheels: Depending on tyre size and rim, the weight of a car wheel is between approx. 15 and 25 kg. The maximum tractive force of the belt should therefore be at least 1500 daN (= 4 x 15 x 25).

Single wheels can also be stowed in the footwell behind the passenger seat, but only if the passenger seat remains unoccupied.

In the event of an accident, the seat belts on the unoccupied rear seat can stabilize the backrest in such a way that the wheels in the hold do not additionally endanger the front passengers.

 If these rules are followed, it can be best ensured that the wheels do not injure the vehicle occupants in the event of a rear-end collision.
 

January 2024

The history of AZT's management shows that innovative thinking and continuity are not a contradiction in terms. In the 52 years of the company's existence, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser was only the third Managing Director of the AZT after AZT founder Prof. Dr. Max Danner (Managing Director AZT from 1971 to 1992) and his successor Prof. Dr. Dieter Anselm (Managing Director AZT from 1993 to 2007) and has very successfully managed the Allianz research centre since 2007. 

He continued important topics in the AZT such as repair research, crash tests and the AZT paint calculation system and took up new aspects in the dynamic field of automotive technology such as assisted driving, electromobility or IT security in vehicles and continuously developed these further together with the AZT team. In addition, Christoph Lauterwasser always wanted AZT to be an integral part of the automotive and repair industry and to advance the various issues wherever possible in dialogue with industry partners and to share expert knowledge. During his time in office, road safety issues were also regularly addressed in public and corresponding exchange formats such as the Allianz Autotag were established. 

As already announced at the 11th Allianz Motor Day, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, who will remain part of the AZT team until the end of April 2024, will now officially hand over the baton to his successor Dr. Christian Sahr with effect from January 1st 2024. As mechanical engineering graduate specialising in automotive engineering, he completed his doctorate in the field of vehicle body development and most recently spent several years heading up the vehicle business unit at FEV Europe GmbH, a leading global engineering service provider in vehicle and powertrain development and digital mobility. "In Christian Sahr, we have found a very good successor for the management of AZT, who has the relevant expertise and industry knowledge. I wish him and the entire AZT team all the best and every success for the tasks ahead," said Christoph Lauterwasser to his successor. Christian Sahr has already been part of AZT for six months and has been able to gain a good overview of his future field of activity. "I am joining a very well organised team. I would like to thank you for the warm welcome and look forward to continuing and further developing the AZT's topics together with the employees, customers and partners." 

At the same time, the management of AZT is becoming more diverse: Dr. Stefanie van den Bergh, Head of Central Functions in the Claims Division of Allianz Versicherungs-AG, is taking on the role of the second AZT Managing Director. Stefanie van den Bergh replaces Christopher Iwanowski, who has taken on the role of Chief General Manager Transformation at Allianz Australia. "I would like to thank Christoph Lauterwasser for his fantastic work for and with AZT over the last 16 years. He has continuously expanded and improved AZT's pioneering role in mobility research. And I am very much looking forward to the coming years of collaboration and further development of the AZT with Christian Sahr," said Stefanie van den Bergh.

There will be a press conference for interested journalists on the change in AZT management on February 7. We will report on this accordingly. If you are interested, please contact florian.kitzmann@allianz.de. 

December 2023

An eventful year lies behind us, in which we have once again worked on many exciting projects and new ideas. Among other things, we have conducted various crash projects, driven forward the further development of the AZT paint calculation system, published various studies on road safety, repair costs and other topics, investigated new issues together with our working students, held various trainings and press events and also modernised our company building.

We were only able to realise this wide range of topics thanks to the excellent cooperation with our partners and customers and the great commitment of all AZT colleagues.

We would like to thank everyone involved and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

December 2023

For this reason, the AZT investigated two questions: 

1. what is the protection potential of the vehicle seats in these vehicles in light rear-end collisions? 

2. how high are the damages of these vehicles compared to traditional manufacturers on the German market? 

Despite good seats with a high protection potential, an above-average deformation after the accident can cause the impact-induced change in speed to be calculated too high by the expert and thus the risk of injury for the occupants to be assessed as too high.

RCAR, community of insurance-related research centers, established, among other things, uniform crash tests for risk assessment of new vehicle models and the International Insurers Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG). AZT Automotive GmbH (AZT) has been a very active part of this community from the beginning. In collaboration with other insurers, physicians, biomechanics, engineers and universities, a special rear impact dummy, the BioRID II, was developed and a dynamic test with appropriate evaluation criteria for seat structures was introduced in 2004

Since then, the protection potential of vehicle seats in Europe has steadily increased. However, with the increasing prosperity in the Asian region, the issue and the handling of neck distortion claims has also come to the fore in the countries there. But the topic is also becoming interesting again in the European market, as more and more new and especially Chinese vehicle manufacturers are entering the markets. This raises the questions of what protection potential their vehicle seats offer and what deformation behavior the models exhibit in light rear impacts.

The AZT had the opportunity to test the protection potential of driver seats with a BioRID II as well as the structural behavior of the vehicle body in some of these new-brand models as part of the tests for the German type class rating and to compare them with the values of the established manufacturers in Europe. The result is presented in anonymized form.  The Paper is available here.

The RCAR-IIWPG has also published a paper summarizing the research and results to date on international whiplash research. According to this paper, a calculation of the impact-induced change of velocity (delta-v) based on the damage patterns remains one of the bases for a plausibility check of claims. 

This raises the need to analyze whether new vehicle models show different damage patterns than would be expected from previous experience at a given speed. 

December 2023

On one hand repairability is strongly influencing the sustainability of the technology, on the other hand it is driving cost of ownership and therefore attractiveness of buying EVs. 

To address those challenges the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) has created this position paper. 

Based on our claims experience, we give recommendations on how to avoid expensive damages, e.g. by better protecting the high-voltage-battery against underside damage.  

Second, in case of a damage, we line out how to improve repairability, for example by adjusting the battery design or improving access to battery data. 

We hope this paper starts the discussion on the topic and as a result leads to more sustainable claims repair.

November 2023

Since its foundation in 1971, the AZT has contributed with many studies and active public relations to ensuring that safety-related topics are discussed in the media worldwide and fostered in the industry. There are many examples of this, including the various road safety campaigns and reports for different target groups (e.g. road safety education for children or reports on distracted driving), public discussions at the annual Allianz Motor Day and, last but not least, current research in the field of sustainability with the published studies on "Repair vs. Replace".

Automated driving has long been part of AZT's research and here, too, we are keen to foster public awareness and education about the potential of automated vehicles. As a member of PAVE Europe, we can now pursue this goal together with many different partners. "The Allianz Center for Technology has been working on the topic of automated vehicles for a decade. We are pleased to be part of PAVE Europe and contribute to the goal of raising public awareness of automated vehicles. In cooperation with other partners within PAVE Europe, we would like to integrate our experience from various projects and studies related to safety and insurability”, says Christian Sahr, Managing Director at Allianz Center for Technology as of

January 01, 2024.

PAVE is a coalition of industry, nonprofits, and academics with one goal: To bring the conversation about automated vehicles  to the public so everyone can play a role in shaping our future. PAVE’s goal is purely educational, and not to advocate for a particular technology or specific public policies. The members believe that the potential benefits of driverless technology can only be achieved if the public and policymakers know the facts. PAVE wants to raise public awareness of both what is on the roads today and what is possible for the future.

 The official press release on AZT's accession is available here:

Allianz Center of Technology is New Member of PAVE Europe | PAVE Campaign

October 2023

The study builds on the report "Repair versus Replace" published earlier this year and extends the results on the VolkswagenID.3 with analyses on its combustion engine counterpart, the Golf VIII.

The AZT not only acted as a contact partner for technical details and methodological issues in life cycle analysis (LCA), but was also able to offer the students exciting insights into the fields of accident research, e-mobility and sustainability on site.

The main finding of the study is that the ecological footprint of a repair does not differ, or only slightly, between e-vehicles and combustion engines for a large part of the damage. This is especially true for parts of the outer body shell, with minor differences mostly due to different part dimensions caused by different designs. Damage to the high-voltage battery of e-vehicles turned out to be critical, which was analysed using underbody damage of varying severity as an example. If the battery is damaged so severely that it has to be partially or even completely replaced, this results in massive costs on both the ecological and the monetary side - also in direct comparison to the combustion engine.

Details on the study and the results can be found here.

October 2023

What data does my car store? Who has access to it? What are the risks involved? And what benefits do I actually have as a consumer when I share my vehicle data? These are all relevant questions that are becoming even more important because of the recently passed EU Data Act and these questions have been discussed at the 11th Allianz Autotag at AZT.

As already established in previous years, the Allianz Motor Day again took place as a combination of on-site event at AZT and an online stream. In the first part, which was mainly aimed at the audience in Germany, Frank Sommerfeld (CEO of Allianz Versicherungs-AG) first presented the issues facing car drivers in connection with vehicle data and the role battery data plays in determining the value of an electric vehicle. He also discussed the results of the current Allianz consumer survey on the subject of vehicle data.

Lucie Bakker (Chief Claims Officer at Allianz-Versicherungs-AG) and Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director AZT) then presented the potential of using vehicle data for fast and customer-oriented claims processes. Natallia Dziamchuk (expert for IT security at AZT) explained to the audience what opportunities and risks arise from the use of the smartphone as a car key (virtual key) and AZT demonstrated this use case as a live demo.

After a short break, Claudia Bechstein, the moderator of the event, opened the second, international part of the event. In a keynote speech, Klaus-Peter Röhler (Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE) explained the importance of the EU Data Act for the handling of vehicle data and its future significance for consumers and companies. In the following panel discussion, the main topic of the event "Car Data - My Decision?" was discussed by various experts from the automotive, regulatory and insurance sectors.

September 2023

Exciting topics are on the agenda again this year - this time the focus is on how we as a society want to shape the future around the handling of vehicle data. The Data Act, which has just been passed by the EU, provides a new regulatory framework for handling data throughout Europe. What potential impact does the Act have on the data landscape, what courses of action does it open or close for the handling of data in vehicles across the entire value chain, from manufacturers to insurers to after-market providers? And what does it mean for consumers?​

These questions will be the focus of the 11th Allianz Motor Day on 17 October 2023 from 10 am to 1 pm.​

From 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., we will present the results of our Europe-wide customer survey on the storage and use of vehicle data. What data does the vehicle key alone store? We will show this in a live demonstration. We will also shed light on the possibilities of battery repairs for electric vehicles and what role the battery plays in damage and the value of the vehicle. An exhibition in the outdoor area of the AZT and live demonstrations will give concrete impressions from practice.  ​

After a short break, we will expand our view to the European market from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and turn to the current topic of "Car Data - My Decision?" in a panel of experts. ​

Interested press representatives will have the opportunity to follow the event on site or via online stream and to address their questions personally or via live chat to the experts present. If you are interested, please contact azt@allianz.de.​

May 2023

The current study on distracted driving, which was compiled at  AZT by Dr. Jörg Kubitzki, not only shows that driver distraction due to modern technology has increased significantly, but also impressively proves that too many drivers are not aware of the legal requirements for using electronic devices and assistance functions in vehicles. Allianz therefore demands that, in addition to the distraction risks posed by smartphones, navigation systems and the like, knowledge of legal regulations and the threat of penalties be communicated more clearly than has been the case to date. ​

​

The key findings of the study on this topic are:​

 • Nine out of ten drivers do not know the amount of fines for violations of the mobile phone paragraph​

 • 29 percent believe that prolonged distraction from the road is permissible ​

 • 13 percent believe that the mobile phone ban does not apply when using traffic jam or highway assistants - 7 percent consider short sleep to be possible​

​

These and other results are included in the current Allianz press release (only in German language). ​

​

April 2023

The proper and professional refinishing of vehicles is associated with various challenges. A new document from the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair (Deutsche Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung) is intended to support communication between those involved in the repair process with detailed insights into the technology and to lead to better mutual understanding with more transparency.

In the case of vehicle components and areas that have no direct demarcation and whose surfaces merge into neighbouring components without separating elements, there are often controversial discussions about the necessity of continuous surface painting of the entire lateral roof frame (roof bar), especially in the case of rear side wall repairs.

Some people are of the opinion that the fading out painting process is not proper and professional. The argument is that sooner or later there will be a visible paint transition due to paint chipping edges, loss of gloss and/or paint flaking, and therefore the paint surfaces of all interlocking body components must always be painted over the entire surface. In other cases, however, even direct visible surfaces (e.g. the side roof rail) can be "painted" and the transition polished without concern.

In order to find a technically sound approach to this discussion, the jointly supported document on the fading out painting process in the case of repairs was drawn up under the leadership of AZT, together with representatives of vehicle manufacturers, bodywork and paint associations, experts and insurance companies.

The document of the German Commission for Paint and Body Repair (Deutsche Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung) unanimously adopted on 07 March 2023 on the craftsman's refinishing of components without clear demarcation by separating elements by means of the fading out painting process is available here in German and English (and in the download area). On the one hand, it deals with the technology and boundary conditions as well as decision criteria for or against the fading out painting process and on the other hand, it lists practical examples as well as other aspects.

April 2023

The number of total car thefts in Germany has fallen from 105,500 permanently missing insured vehicles in 1993 to less than 20,000 stolen vehicles a year today, despite a steady growth the number of vehicles on the road. One of the main reasons is the electronic immobilizer, which prevents an unauthorized engine start or at least delays it for some time. This delay is a deterrent in many cases, because a theft has to happen quickly or the attempt will be abandoned.

As a result of the massive increase in total thefts following German reunification and the opening of the borders, the first requirements for an electronic immobilizer were developed at the Allianz Center for Technology in 1997 and implemented in new vehicle models by the automotive industry. A key feature of these immobilizers was that they are automatically armed and disarmed so that the driver cannot forget any necessary operating step. Since 2007, an electronic immobilizer has been part of the homologation of new vehicle models and is therefore present throughout Europe.

The latest developments in the automotive industry are transforming vehicles into connected systems with entirely new possibilities not only for services, but also for innovative functions such as the key in the smartphone. Connectivity also creates new access points for thieves to get into cars. However, networking also offers new protection options for security, i.e. authorization of security-relevant settings.

In order to minimize the risks arising from connectivity and to exploit the protection benefits, the Allianz Center for Technology has not replaced the requirements for electronic immobilizers that have been in force since 2007, but has supplemented them with requirements adapted to the new technologies. This practice takes into account the currently heterogeneous development statuses of new models.

These requirements are formulated in a technology-open manner as guidelines. They focus in particular on the forensic needs after a theft in order to support the vehicle owner in his claim with objective data and to enable the insurance company to process claims based on facts

The document is available here and in the download area.

March 2023

What are the requirements for a successful transformation of transport? What are the challenges in converting private and commercial fleets to e-mobility? And what current problems arise from strained international supply chains?​

These questions were discussed by Gabriele Gerdau, an expert on international supply chains, Stefan Gerwens, Head of Transport at ADAC, and Christoph Lauterwasser from AZT at the "Business Talk am Kudamm".​

March 2023

At the 10th Allianz Motor Day last October, we presented the potential savings associated with green repair methods in terms of money and CO2 equivalent. ​

 The underlying approach was to compare a repair with a spare parts replacement in vehicle repair. In the case of the VW ID.3, repairing the headlight versus installing a new part reduces costs by almost 1,000 euros, and CO2 equivalent emissions are reduced by 98 percent - and that is just one of various examples. "If the repair rate in Germany were to be increased by just two percentage points, around 5,000 tons of CO2 could be saved, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 860 German households," said Christoph Lauterwasser, Managing Director of AZT Automotive GmbH at the press event.​

 The international study "Repair or Replace", on which the event is based and which was prepared by AZT together with Allianz SE and partners Metsims Sustainability Consulting and Oakdene Hollins, has now been published. The examples already presented at Allianz Motor Day are supplemented in the comprehensive report by the investigation for further components of the VW ID.3 as well as by a country comparison. These analyses prove once again that repairing a damaged vehicle part is the more climate-friendly option compared to a spare parts replacement - in all the countries considered and also if the body shop carrying out the repair is already working sustainably.​

The full text of the study is available here and can be found in the download area. 

March 2023

"Engaging with the smartphone while driving has become the norm. At the same time, the distraction possibilities in today's vehicles continue to increase," says Lucie Bakker, Chief Claims Officer and Member of the Board of Management at Allianz Versicherungs-AG. "The core of the problem is that many drivers are aware of the danger, but they do not transfer this insight to their everyday driving. This is fatal. We must not accept distracted driving  as a socially accepted habit!"​

According to the German Federal Statistical Office, 8233 people were injured in accidents in which distraction played a role in 2021, and 117 died, which is approximately five percent of all fatalities (2562). These figures make it clear that distraction is still a major hazard factor. Jörg Kubitzki from the AZT dealt with this topic for the third time and compiled the current study, which focuses on driver distraction caused by modern technology. Among other things, the study shows that this form of distraction has increased significantly and that the risk of car accidents increases by around 50 percent due to the operation of modern communication, entertainment and comfort technologies. ​

Other key findings of the study include:​

​ • Texting replaces phoning as hand-held  mobile phone offence ​
 • “Problem children” young  drivers​
 • The equipment of vehicles with on-board computers has increased significantly​
 • Integrating distraction into police accident recording has paid off​
 • Driver monitoring is rejected by the majority​

​

The full text of the study (in German language only) and the associated press release can also be found in the download area.​
 

February 2023

An AZT analysis of market data (source: GDV) found a markedly different distribution of damage types over several years, sorted by drive type: relatively constant over time, the damage types theft and fire, flooding, etc. are clearly underrepresented for battery-electric passenger cars (BEV) compared to conventional vehicles. In contrast, collision costs dominate the claims expenditure for BEV with an MOD share of about 84 % compared to about 73 % for conventional vehicles. However, these data are highly aggregated and do not allow any detailed statements. Nevertheless, the market data show that the greatest levers for improving claims costs lie in collisions. 

From the Allianz claims of the year 2021, a random sample of 400 MOD collision claims with BEVs was considered in detail. For comparison, 350 similar cases from a select until 2018 with purely conventional drives were available as a reference group. The reference group, however, represents an older population regards both, average age and year of manufacture. Like the cases examined in an earlier study in 2017, these 350 cases were adjusted for inflation on the basis of the claims cost development determined by the GDV for automotive repairs. 

The average collision loss for BEVs is about 18 % higher than for ICEs in the reference group. The median is still 6 % higher, which clearly demonstrates the effects of expensive damage that can be seen in the claims. 

The study found similar figures for damaged ultrasonic sensors in BEV and reference group, but more involved radar sensors for BEV and cameras only in the BEV claims. Interestingly BEV claims showed less cross members damaged than in the reference group while bumper fascia are damaged at a comparable level. This shows that accidents that can be addressed by front AEB are either avoided or mitigated, better than in the slightly older reference group. 

However, parking and manoeuvring is obviously not yet addressed by the OEMs, as claims don’t show different characteristics for BEV and reference group. This is one important lever for improvements because parking and manoeuvring damage account for a significantly higher proportion of BEV's damage than in the reference group. 

The study also unveils that a high portion of conventional cars was repaired in independent repair shops at lower prices than in branded repair shops. BEVs, however, are mostly repaired in branded repair shops, likely due to their low average age and lack of qualified independent repair shops. Moreover, in average the latter invoiced higher rates for BEV than for conventional cars.  

A significant influence on repair costs is driven by the high voltage system. Whether it is about electronic components, charger ports or the battery itself, prices for such spare parts drive costs. The most important finding is that only one HV battery was affected by accident-related deformation of the vehicle’s body, while all the rest was impacted from the underside. In 2% of the claims the battery was affected, but due to high replacement costs, this counts for about 7% of the collision losses. This situation is comparable to total theft, where few expensive losses can drive a model’s type class and thus insurance premiums to the bad. 

Major influences on the higher insurance losses are hence found in repair shop structures and prices, lack of P-AEB ADAS and very expensive damages to the HV system, often from the underside. 

An abstract of the study is available here.

November 2022

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Ungerer of the Munich University of Applied Sciences founded the Munich Working Group for Road Vehicles e.V. as its first chairman in 1980. According to the statutes, the purpose of the association is the independent information and further education of experts for motor vehicles, motor vehicle traffic and accident analysis, especially in the fields of maintenance, damage diagnosis, repair, repair technology, repair costs and damage analysis.  

Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Helmut Ungerer tragically died in a forest fire in Italy in 1989. Since then, his former students among others, have continued to lead the association in his honor. Since 2016, the presidium of MAS e.V. has awarded the Professor Helmut Ungerer Medal to individuals who have rendered outstanding services to the motor vehicle expert profession.  It is the only award that exists in this field.

Dr. Deutscher was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of MAS e.V. from 1997 until his retirement in 2021 and supported the association's conferences with lecture topics from the Allianz Center for Technology. AZT Automotive GmbH continues to support the work of the association through representatives on the Scientific Advisory Board. 

The AZT congratulates Dr. Christian Deutscher on his contribution. 

June 2022

If the repair rate in Germany were to be increased by just 2 percentage points, around 5,000 tons of CO2 could be saved, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 860 households. This was just one message from the 10th Allianz Motor Day which focused on various aspects of the topic of sustainability and the role of motor insurance in relation to this.​

As last year, the Motor Day was held as a combination of an on-site event at the AZT and an online stream. In the first part, which was mainly addressed to the audience in Germany, first Frank Sommerfeld (CEO Allianz Versicherungs-AG) presented current developments in the field of electric mobility as well as insurance and services of Allianz for electric vehicles. Next, Dr. Lucie Bakker (Chief Claims Officer and member of the Board of Management of  Allianz-Versicherungs-AG) and Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director AZT) presented approaches for sustainable claims management in motor insurance. The focus was particularly on the topic of "green repair" with the aspects of repair vs. exchange and the usage of used spare parts in repair.​

After a short break, Fero Andersen, the moderator of the event, started the second, international part of the event. Following a key note speech by Dr. Klaus-Peter Röhler (Member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE), the main topic of the event "Sustainability in Motor Insurance" was discussed in a panel discussion. The discussion was broadcast across Europe and was held in English.

June 2022

Day

365 days a year belong to road safety. But every third Saturday in June is something special. A wide variety of players deal with the topic of road safety with their campaigns and events under the common guiding principle of "Together for more safety".

They bring people closer to what is happening 365 days a year to ensure that we arrive safely every day when we are on the road by foot, by bike or by car. The German Road Safety Council created Road Safety Day in 2005 for this purpose - and anyone can join in: simply share the message on your social media!

Theme

With the motto THANK YOU! this year, the DVR has deliberately refrained from what some might perceive as "pointing fingers". This time, it's not to warn about blind spots or speeding, or to use braking distances to point out the dangers of serious accidents. Rather, it is to highlight the positive safety record that we have all achieved together in recent decades: with countless expert measures, the day-to-day efforts of countless helpers, and with most people setting a good example on the road. The wrong must be prevented. But the right should also be rewarded - on this June 18th, with posts, comments and likes, under the hashtags #VisionZeroHero #VisionZero #ThankYouVisionZeroHero and #TrafficSafetyDay.

Allianz Center for Technology

The Allianz Center for Technology is supporting the campaign again this year. Allianz and AZT are active in the German Road Safety Council and the European Road Safety Charter.

In the context of this, we would like to point out the following topics, among others, which have an important relation to road safety in various studies and projects of the AZT [...E-scooter, blind spot, two-wheeler,etc....].

Please access to the campaign website Road Safety Day (dvr.de) for more information. Download materials (images, etc.) ist available here: ShareFile - Where Companies Connect

June 2022

In spring time many motorcyclists lack the necessary fitness to be safe on the road after a long period of non-driving. The start of the season also increases the volume of traffic in tourist regions and therefore the risk of accidents. The winter months of December 2020 through February 2021 represented 5 percent of motorcyclists killed and 6 percent of motorcyclists seriously injured in the 12 months from December 2020 through November 2021, jumping to 25 percent for both deaths and serious injuries in the spring months of March through May 2021. The risk increases again significantly with the start of summer in June. 2309 accidents with personal injury involving motorcyclists were recorded in May, 3396 in June 2021.

Accidents often occur without a passenger, motorcycle safety features still not popular enough  

With more than 50 percent of all two-wheeler drivers killed, motorcyclists remain the most problematic of all two-wheeler traffic. A high number of single-vehicle accidents contribute to the number of victims.  

35 percent of motorcycle accidents with personal injury occur without the participation of a third party. In 56 percent, motorcyclists are the main cause of the accident. More than 40 percent of all victims in motorcycle accidents ( bikers and other parties involved in the accident) are caused by motorcyclists losing control of their vehicle without the intervention of other road users (driving accidents). This danger can be reduced by anti-lock braking systems. 

The Allianz Center for Technology analyzed 500 randomly selected motorcycle accidents for its two-wheeler study. All types of damage, from property damage to personal injury, were included. The study showed only one-third of the motorcycles were equipped with ABS. Combination brakes and cornering ABS were also not often represented.  

The average age of the machines was more than 12 years, while the two-wheelers without ABS had an average age of more than 20 years. "Our claims data reveals that the motorcycles involved in accidents are, on average, significantly older than passenger cars," states Christoph Lauterwasser, director of the AZT. "The predominant use of motorcycles as recreational and sporting equipment means that the vehicles are still far too rarely equipped with modern braking systems or assistance functions."

Accident risk also in urban areas, injury rate increases

Motorcycle accidents, however, do not only have serious effects on country roads and highways at high speed. According to Allianz analysis, 59 percent of accidents occurred in urban areas, often front-rear collisions (rear-end collisions). Far more than 40 percent of crashes occurred in inner cities, including one out of every three people who were seriously injured.  The AZT is concerned about the seriousness of injuries among motorcyclists. In 2021, according to federal statistics, serious injuries accounted for 33 percent of all crashes (that's killed plus serious plus minor injuries). For motorcycles with insurance license plates and for bicycles, it was 18 percent each. "Our study shows that the serious injury rate has been increasing for 20 years only for motorcycles. The causes urgently require further investigation," says accident researcher Jörg Kubitzki.

The AZT and Oliver Braxmeier from the Coburg University of Applied Sciences analyzed 500 randomly selected Allianz motor liability claim files of motorcycle accidents for the evaluation. The official german press release is available via following link Viele Motorräder ohne moderne Sicherheitstechnik | Allianz. The entire AZT study "Two-wheeler safety summary" with further data on motorcycle accidents can be found on the AZT homepage under the keyword road safety.

May 2022

The AVEAS project is now officially in full swing with the first overall workshop in Karlsruhe after more than two years of planning and preparation. By the end of 2024, our project, which is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK), will collect real data for the virtual testing of automated driving functions in critical situations: Data on human driving behavior via test vehicle, infrastructure sensors and aircraft; data on challenging sensor conditions; and data on human-machine interaction in VR trial studies which will serve as the bases for generating models and methods for virtual safeguarding.

For this purpose, the partners dSPACE, Continental, PTV Group, Allianz Zentrum für Technik GmbH, GOTECH, Spiegel Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as well as Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut, EMI, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI and Fraunhofer IOSB are working together in the project under the leadership of understand.ai - with a budget of €10 million, including €6.2 million in funding from the BMWK. The project is supported, among others, by the associated partners TÜV SÜD, ADAC Württemberg, PBW-Parkraumgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH, ALP.Lab GmbH, EDI GmbH - Engineering Data Intelligence, ASAM e.V. - Association for Standardization of Automation and Measuring Systems and Karlsruhe Police, as well as by the project sponsor TÜV Rheinland.

Please find the LinkedIn-Post of the Kickoff here.

May 2022

In recent years, evaluations carried out by the Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) show that high-voltage vehicles (HV vehicles) have a generically higher claims expenditure than vehicles with a classic combustion engine. A new database of insurance claims for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) is being compiled as part of an ongoing project on this subject. Both the accident history and the damage pattern of the vehicles are being analyzed and, in particular, claims involving severely damaged vehicles are being evaluated in more detail.

After the project, additional activities in the AZT may also be possible, for example the measurement of parking sensors or the cooperation surface measurement of vehicles for the AZT paint calculation system.

Tasks:  

- Evaluation of Allianz damage files (includes police investigation files, repair reports, etc.) and expansion of an accident database

- Analysis of the database according to vehicle technical aspects and comparison with previous databases

- Preparation and internal presentation of the results

- Subsequently, if necessary, further activities in the field of accident research and repair technology (optional)

Requirements/Knowledge/Experience:

- Interest in electromobility and accident research

- Independent and precise way of working

- Good to very good academic performance

- Very good knowledge of written and spoken German; good knowledge of English is an advantage

- Confident handling of MS Office programs  

- Previous knowledge of or interest in automotive engineering

- Affinity for statistics

Appointment date: 01.07.2022

Are you interested? If so, we look forward to receiving your application documents with CV and references, stating the reference code and possible start date, online via our job market on careers.allianz.com.

If you have any questions, please contact us via our e-mail address apas-studentsupport@allianz.de.

Many customers around the world trust the Allianz Group as an insurer and asset manager. We care about our employees and their needs, dreams and personal challenges. Together, we create an environment in which we offer everyone the opportunity to discover new things, to grow and to shape a better future for our customers and the world around us. Become a part of it. Let's care for tomorrow.

At Allianz, we believe in a diverse and inclusive workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to be fully engaged in work just as you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, how old you are, who you love, what you believe in or whether you have a personal limitation.

Allianz Versicherungs-AG is a pillar of Allianz's product business in Germany. With more than 120 years of experience behind us, we are the number one in property and casualty insurance in Germany. With your know-how and professionalism, you can contribute to extending our lead.

Are you interested? Then we look forward to hearing from you https://careers.allianz.com.

December 2021

The purpose of the study was to get a representative picture of the accident situation. Hereby the objective was to describe conflict-triggering situations, environmental conditions and driving scenarios and, if possible, to identify corner cases.

Corner cases are accidents that "stand out" from the rest of the accident scene, i.e., they cannot be assigned to frequently occurring accident situations. In the safeguarding of future highly automated driving functions, these accidents are of particular interest because they are potentially less obvious and therefore have a high value for the safety analysis.

To answer the various questions, more than 1,000 highway accidents were selected from the set of all Allianz claims from 2019. These cases were evaluated in detail, analyzed for certain characteristics and the results entered into an accident database.

Key findings of the study:

- A large proportion of accidents occur during or as a result of a lane change by the truck. In most cases, restricted visibility conditions of the truck driver - especially on the passenger side - play a crucial role. These accidents also happen more frequently at highway interchanges. Here the truck driver may be forced to change lanes due to branching or merging lanes, which leads to an increase in the number of claims.

- Another focus is rear-end collisions. The reason is often the driver's distraction or inattention. Here, the crash may vary widely in terms of seriousness, depending on the traffic situation on the highway at that moment. Traffic jams that occur unexpectedly can lead to particularly serious accidents.

- Another frequent occurrence is the vehicle drifting off the road to the left or right. However, the existing crash barriers can usually prevent serious accidents. Minor side collisions, mostly with passenger cars, are more common in construction areas.

For further information, please contact: azt@allianz.de

December 2021

In preparation of this year's Allianz Motor Day, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser and a team from Corporate Communications travelled to Kronach to get an on-site impression of the operation of autonomous shuttles. The result is a short video that provides interesting insights about the technology and the fields of application of autonomous shuttles. A brief report and the video can be accessed via following link:  Der Weg zum autonomen Fahren – Allianz Deutschland AG

December 2021

Choosing selected topics, Wolfgang Fastenmeier, Uwe Ewert, Jörg Kubitzki and Herbert Gstalter took a close look at new as well as old apparent truths and present the current state of research. Are women or men the better drivers? Much is relativized by the differences in driving performance. Seniors are dangerous drivers? However, their accident risks are lower than assumed. Age does not define a loss of driving ability, but mandatory tests bring new dangers - a recognized fact. And, in spite of all this, are we striving to get around in an environmentally friendly way? Research paints a different picture. One of convenience and egoism. Further book information in German language can be found here.

November 2021

The "L3Pilot" project led by Volkswagen AG and funded by the EU Commission celebrated its successful closing in October at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg.

The goal of the four-year project was to investigate the feasibility of automated driving as a safe and efficient transportation solution and to evaluate the effects of introducing and spreading automated vehicles.

In addition to the Allianz Center for Technology, the project involved vehicle manufacturers, suppliers as well as research institutions, universities and government agencies.

The project equipped 70 vehicles. The test fleet included 13 different vehicle brands, from passenger cars to SUVs. More than 400.000 km were driven on highways, including 200.000 km in automated mode and 200.000 km in manual mode as a basis for comparing user experience and assessing impact. More than 24.000 km were driven in automated mode in city traffic.

With the goal of focusing the user experience of automated driving functions, more than 1.000 people participated in pilot tests and complementary tests in a virtual environment.

The project focused on SAE Level 3 automated driving functions on highways and in urban traffic, while SAE Level 4 functions focused exclusively on parking and short-range scenarios. The AZT's task was, among other things, to evaluate the safety-related effects of automated parking functions. For this purpose, existing accident databases and the Allianz claims contained therein for several years were evaluated to obtain as comprehensive a picture as possible of the parking accidents recorded. Based on the knowledge gained from this, an assessment of the potential impact of future automated parking functions could be given.

For more information: L3Pilot press release

November 2021

 E-cars are becoming increasingly networked and digital. They are almost rolling computers. They offer potential attack surfaces for hackers. Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, the managing director of AZT Automotive GmbH, explains in the following Generation E podcast from RND how we can protect ourselves against attacks and what responsibility the manufacturers of e-cars have.

October 2021

With our article about the 90s we continue the AZT series "Know-how with history". In 1993 Prof. Dr. Dieter Anselm becomes the managing director of the AZT.

Anselm notes the most important challenge and success of his work: "The AZT was already known for its work. Now it was to be developed even more strongly as a point of contact in specialist circles both inside and outside the Allianz. It was also important to make the results of our work known beyond Germany's borders. This was achieved by extending the training of Allianz experts to a European level - in parallel with the internationalization of the Allianz. “

Until 1990, one of the central tasks of the AZT was the further education of the more than 500 Allianz experts from the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria. With the takeover of the former State Insurance of the GDR and the foundation of the Deutsche Versicherungs-AG (DVAG), the training work and the target group changed fundamentally: For a short time, the AZT was for 1100 employees of the technical sales force - more than twice as many as before 1990.

In cooperation with the Allianz department responsible for Eastern Europe, the development of Allianz's business in various Eastern European countries began in the 1990s. International training was also established at the same time. 

In the 1990s, many issues in security research were broadened.  For example, the experts at the AZT investigated the effects of airbags on spectacle wearers and smokers in the event of an impact, and they also developed an effective dog restraint system.

The vehicle crashes already described in the last article also continued. Fittingly for the German reunification, there was also a crash with a Trabant at the AZT in the early 90s.

Innovations in safety technology in the 1990s included the introduction of the electronic immobilizer. After the fall of the wall, the damage increased in of comprehensive insurance due to a huge increase in motor vehicle thefts. The vehicles were being moved to Eastern Europe and the Middle East by internationally organised gangs of thieves on an unprecedented scale. In order to be able to avoid above-average premium increases, the AZT developed a requirements profile for effective systems and immediately demanded solutions for practical anti-theft protection from the automotive industry. The result was the legal introduction of the electronic immobilizer for newly registered passenger cars according to standards defined by the AZT. The industry quickly implemented this idea, and the success was already evident in the mid-1990s with a sharp drop in the number of thefts.

The reference to the definition of the electronic immobilizer by the AZT was even noted in the vehicle documents for a long time.

As already described in our AZT article on the 1970s, a vehicle- and manufacturer-independent calculation system for the exact determination of painting costs was developed at the Allianz Center for Technology. Since its development, the calculation system, based on AZT studies, has continuously incorporated new tools, new materials and new repair methods. Since 1990, the system has been used in more than 40 countries and has even become the market standard in some cases.

In our next and last AZT article from the year 2000, we report, among other things, on the further development in the field of crash standards.

September 2021

The 9th Allianz Motor Day, which this year for the first time took place as a combination of on-site event at the AZT and online streaming, was dedicated to other current topics from the automotive sector in addition to the main topic "Automated driving becomes reality".

In the first part of the Motor Day, which was mainly aimed at the audience in Germany, Frank Sommerfeld (CEO Allianz Versicherungs-AG and Member of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland AG) and James Wallner (CEO ADAC Autoversicherung AG and Member of the Board of Management of ADAC Versicherung AG) first presented innovations in motor insurance for electric vehicles in Germany. Carsten Reinkemeyer (Head of Vehicle Technology & Safety Research at the AZT) presented the latest AZT research results on the claims experience with electric vehicles. Karsten Göwecke (Ständiger Vertreter des Landesbranddirektors, Berliner Feuerwehr) supplemented the substantive part on fire damage and brought in the perspective of the fire department on this topic.

The next part of the agenda was a very special one for the AZT: The 50th anniversary of the AZT was officially honored in front of the audience. Jochen Haug (Chief Claims Officer and Member of the Board of Management of Allianz Versicherungs-AG) and Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director Allianz Center for Technology) summarized the importance of the AZT in the past decades for Allianz, the industry and society and presented an outlook on the current and future topic portfolio of the AZT.

June 2021

At the end of March 2021, the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair passed and subsequently published the document on the significance of the delivery condition from bodywork to paint in German and English as well as a fundamentally revised paint guideline. Afterwards, the AZT repeatedly received requests for an English edition of the paint guideline.

In order to meet the interest and to support the international claims and repair market, AZT has therefore now translated the paint guideline based on the German version. After correction loops with the Working Group on Automotive Refinish Coatings of the Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry (VdL) and the German Federal Association for Color Design & Protection of Structure (Bundesverband Farbe Gestaltung Bautenschutz) with its Nationwide Expert Group Vehicle Painting (Bundesfachgruppe Fahrzeuglackierer – BFL), the English version of the paint guideline can now be made available to all interested parties. At the same time, all members of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair will also receive the English document for further use.

Both the German and English versions of the paint guideline, as well as all other documents of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair, can be downloaded free of charge from the download area (see https://azt-automotive.com/de/downloads  →  „Beschlüsse der Deutschen Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung“). In addition, the English versions are also available at https://azt-automotive.com/en/downloads  →  “Resolutions of the German Commission for Paint and Bodywork Repair”.

June 2021

Dear classic car friends,

In April we reported here about the leaks and fuel loss on our BMW E21. The matter has been repaired and we will tell you more about the story: 

The removed tank was marked with extensive rusting. In the edge areas, where the upper and lower tank halves are welded together, clear corrosion was visible between the sheet metal layers.

In our last report we already mentioned that a new spare part was not available. We therefore decided to have the tank professionally repaired.

We have needed to sandblaste the tank in order to determine the complete extent of the damage. This blasting process is gentle on the rust but the steel sheet of the tank remains unchanged. Before sandblasting, however, the glued-on insulation mats had to be removed, as the blasting material would have bounced off them to no avail.

After sandblasting the tank was in a good condition. What you see in this photo is bare, undamaged sheet metal.

However, the corroded suspensions of the tank on the front side in the direction of travel were only rudimentary:

Welding the plate would be risky as the original weld seam could become leaky due to the additional heat input.

We therefore decided to make new sheet metal mountings and fix them in place using modern adhesive technology.

After the adhesive had cured, the tank could be taken to the paint shop and painted:

Primed and sanded. The sealing of the two tank halves against penetrating moisture, as well as the sealed repair area, are shown here:

The result is convincing. The work was worth it.

You can see that even a rather unnoticed component, such as the fuel tank, can play a major role in the preservation of an old vehicle, and that its restoration requires a certain amount of effort in any case. However, the result usually compensates for all the previous efforts.

Actually the tank is now too good to hide under the car. You won't see much of it anymore, but the assurance of no more leaks is also worth a lot.

More on the topic:

Article about the purchase of the BMW 318, year of construction 1975

Article about fuel loss at BMW 318 - A little petrol story

May 2021

On the occasion of the AZT's 50th anniversary, we thought about how to combine long-term expertise and future-oriented research in the automotive field, as well as our international way of working. 

One result of this is our new, graphically implemented claim "50 Years Research - Driving Tomorrow“ which we will use in the future.

In a short movie Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser, Managing Director of AZT Automotive GmbH, presents the most important areas of work of the AZT over the past 5 decades as well as for the future. 

Practical tests according to defined standards on various safety topics have always been a central element of the AZT's work. The following trailer gives an impressive overview.

May 2021

More and more vehicles are being equipped with sensors for driver assistance systems, and this is having an increasing impact on the repair of vehicles that have been involved in accidents. Since manufacturers' repair instructions sometimes contain very precise specifications for painting, especially for painted plastic parts, repair shops and paint shops are facing new challenges. In order to be able to document their own working methods in the event of problems arising during sensor calibration and in the event of enquiries, it is necessary, for example, to measure the applied paint layer thicknesses non-destructively. The AZT has carried out extensive studies on this.

Radar sensors that are required for the functionality of driver assistance systems such as lane change warnings or lane change assistants as well as parking or intersection assistants, are usually installed in areas that are per se at risk of collision behind the bumper trim. Depending on the vehicle manufacturer, the relevant specifications and approvals for the repair and painting of bumper covers must be observed in the event of repairs. This may also include the permissible paint thickness.

The aim of every repair is to achieve the best result from both an ecological and an economic point of view. Every bumper cover that is unnecessarily renewed from a technical point of view and settled by an insurance company has a negative effect on the type classification due to the associated significantly higher damage costs compared to repair. Ultimately, therefore, the customer always pays the bill, due to rising insurance premiums, if efficient repair options are not available or are not applied.

The AZT therefore carried out numerous series of experiments to calibrate the rear radar sensors and measure the paint layer thickness on various rear bumper covers. Original spare parts were painted at the AZT, the rear radar sensors were calibrated several times and the paint film thickness was measured or determined using various methods. On the one hand, ultrasonic measurements were carried out on the plastic part itself and on samples cut from it, and conventional thickness measurements were carried out on painted color sample sheets using magnetic induction. The samples taken from the bumper covers were also analyzed under the microscope using polished cross-sections, and these results were used as a reference in the overall evaluation.

The series of tests on radar calibration focused on the painting itself; any repair procedures were not considered. This means that in each case original spare parts were painted by a skilled painting craftsman and paint technician at AZT. This therefore corresponds to a new part painting. Furthermore, additional surface painting was applied in some cases. In addition to the original exterior color of the available Volkswagen Passat, other up-to-date colors of the Volkswagen Group were selected as color tones. The aim was to cover colors that, according to the literature, are critical and less critical for radar penetration, as well as paints with various effect pigments and 2- and 3-layer paints. Furthermore, all bumper covers and corresponding color sample sheets were painted with two different refinishing paint systems from different paint manufacturers, each with the standard mixing formula (driver's side: paint manufacturer A; passenger's side: paint manufacturer B). The clear focus was on analyzing the paint layer thickness in combination with different paint colors, which is why the final coating with clear coat was uniformly applied with a 2K clear coat, since this is technologically comparable for both refinishing paint systems used and the influencing factors could therefore be reduced.

In conclusion, it can be stated that the ultrasonic layer thickness measurement principle on plastic is currently not an unrestrictedly resilient and reliable measurement method in the automotive sector and the everyday workshop routine. In particular, the interpretation of the measurement result is challenging on a complete bumper cover, which can deform when the corresponding compressive force is applied for the ultrasonic measurement. On a buckling-resistant stiff sample, on the other hand, the ultrasonic measurement principle works quite reliably, but then contradicts a non-destructive measurement method. In addition, the selected measuring mode in combination with the respective software version of the ultrasonic measuring device can make a significant difference in the result of the paint layer thickness output. Sometimes more precise results can be achieved with a color sample sheet painted at a suitable location and the conventional coating thickness measurement carried out on it.

In order to be able to evaluate the quality of the measurement results from ultrasonic measurement and the paint layer thickness measurement on metallic substrates using magnetic induction or the eddy current measuring principle, polished cross-sections from samples of the painted bumper covers were evaluated under a scanning electron microscope and the real paint layer thicknesses were determined. It was shown that the deviation of the measurement results on the paint sample sheets from the true paint film layer thickness is minimal and therefore appropriate conclusions can be drawn in everyday's workshop routine, provided that the paint sample sheets were painted in a suitable manner together with the respective components.

A detailed compilation of the scope of the test, the chosen approach and relevant results was recently published in the April 2021 issue of the journal "Verkehrsunfall und Fahrzeugtechnik".

The polished cross-sections taken in the series of tests were mainly used to determine the real coating layer thickness in order to be able to evaluate the various non-destructive measurement methods for paint layer thickness. In addition, the polished cross-sections were used to illuminate further interesting aspects. Figure 2 shows the polished cross-section of a bumper cover painted in Volkswagen Pyrit Silver, on which the very homogeneous distribution of the effect pigments can be seen combined with their uniform orientation. The silver effect pigments are all aligned approximately parallel and bonded in the base coat. This results in a uniform and thin base coat layer thickness, which nevertheless ensures a covering coating. In addition, the polished cross-sections provide an indication of the repeatability of paintwork. An experienced paint specialist who is familiar with the refinishing system used and knows the interactions between the refinishing system and the paint booth as well as its control system can repeat the individual layers of a paintwork with a high degree of accuracy, even with an appropriate offset in time. Figure 3 shows the polished cross-section of a bumper cover that has been painted three times with Volkswagen Deep Black. After the new part painting (base coat & 2K clear coat on primed delivered spare part) and corresponding examinations, a first surface painting with base coat and 2K clear coat followed with corresponding preparation of the painted surface by using fine sanding with sanding pad / fleece. Finally, a second surface coating was applied. All three black base coat layers are almost identical in thickness at 9 – 10 μm. Due to the fine sanding of the existing 2K clear coat surfaces before the new base coat was applied, the first two clear coat layers were each minimally removed and, at 47 μm and 45 μm, are just under a third thinner than the final 2K clear coat layer at 64 μm. It can also be guessed that the surface roughness is increased by sanding, but that the base coat reliably compensates for this and ensures an even surface coating.

May 2021

Dear classic car friends,

We have some news about our BMW 318.

We deliberately bought this car in good condition to avoid having to deal with further restoration work, besides the Mercedes.

Unfortunately, even supposedly very good classic cars are not safe from (bad) surprises:

Originally, we wanted to fill up the BMW briefly on a Friday afternoon before the weekend. Back at the AZT workshop, we noticed a strong smell of gasoline and a small pool of gasoline formed under the BMW. On the lifting platform we have checked the car.

The source of the gasoline loss was quickly identified, it dripped down the fuel tank. On this vehicle the tank is still made of sheet steel, so we suspected something bad.

Fuel smell and loss is not uncommon with this model, it is reported more often of such defects in the BMW E21. The cause is often leaky, porous fuel lines, which are installed on the top of the tank, which is not visible from below. A "tip giver" has even recommended to simply not fill up the tank, otherwise leave everything as it is. This was not an option for us as we wanted to get to the bottom of it. After removing the rear seat and removing the corresponding assembly cover, we could already locate a leak:

Here, the ventilation line is obviously torn, but the other visible hoses no longer make a good impression either.

To finally get to the bottom of the leak, the fuel tank was completely emptied with a special tank pump, collected and then the tank was removed.

The traces of the leaking gasoline are very visible here. The disconnected hose at the bottom right is already a new part leading to the fuel tank nozzle. The old hose mounted there presented itself to us in a very porous condition:

So we were lucky, the cause of the fuel loss was not the tank, which only with luck would still be available as a spare part but "only" a few hoses and lines. We were able to replace these quite quickly and the tank is now tight again.

Because we could nevertheless determine some large and a few stronger punctual rust spots on the removed tank, we decided to have the tank sandblasted in order to weld it afterwards if necessary and then to paint it again...

Conclusion: Life with a classic car is never boring ;-)

We will keep you updated

More on the topic:

Article about the purchase of the BMW 318, year of construction 1975

Article about the purchase of the Mercedes 240D, year of construction 1981

March 2021

In Germany, the Personal Light Electric Vehicles Act, effective June, 2019, enables to operate e-scooters (20 km/h limit) on public roads. While a full year federal accident report is waiting for giving us figures and details, on what the accident characteristics may be, the Allianz Center for Technology run a pilot, screening all 2020 police road traffic control and enforcement measurements, as given by police press releases.

The article will be published in the journal Verkehrsunfall und Fahrzeugtechnik 03/2021. 

In the meantime, the German Federal Statistical Office has published figures. The AZT has commented on the latest official data.

Jörg Kubitzki, Road Safety Expert, from the Allianz Center for Technology states: „I am not convinced of the German Federal Statistic Bureau’s comparison of e-scooter accident figures to bicycle figures, as there are quite highly different mileage exposures between them. It is more wise to compare e-scooters with light motorized cycles classes, since both are under mandatory insurance coverage here. In here, 386 severely injured scooter-riders make 14 percentages of all, severely injured scooter-riders and light motorized cycle-riders (386 plus 2311). As to all death: 9 percentages, and as to all casualties (fatalities plus severely- plus slightly injureds): 16 percentages.”

Furthermore, Jörg Kubitzki comments: „The high portion of single accident cases in e-scooter, found by the German Federal Statistic Bureau, is in line with our Allianz Zentrum für Technik (AZT) prognosis, we calculated here. This are often on road falls, so we urgently advise every e-scooter driver to wear helmet, when driving e-scooter. With our AZT analyses, beside alcohol also drug influenced driving plays a major role in e-scooter use in general, especially in young people.”

January 2021

This year will be a special one for the AZT: In 1971, Professor Max Danner founded the Institute of Automotive Technology - today's AZT Automotive GmbH - under the umbrella of the already existing Allianz Center for Technology. Our company can look back on a history that now spans 50 years and we are celebrating our anniversary this year.

On the occasion of our anniversary year, we will report on the milestones of the last five decades spread over the year.

December 2020

The crash test season started with a premiere in form of the Aiways U5 vehicle model. Aiways is the first Chinese manufacturer to undergo an initial classification procedure in Germany for type class determination on the basis of the RCAR crash tests. Overall, the focus of vehicle crashes was even more on electrically powered vehicles than in the previous year.

In the field of consulting and crash tests, the AZT has positioned itself very successfully, especially with a number of new market participants. The orders will continue in the coming year as well as the support of a number of units of the Allianz.

With regard to low speed crash performance, the AZT experts offer consulting as well as test services up to the hosting of presentations for initial classification. A particular challenge in 2020 has occurred by the fact that no face-to-face events have been possible. However, it was possible to establish a format that allowed the client to "accompany" the vehicles during the tests without being physically present and to subsequently perform damage assessment on the test vehicles.

Since the introduction of automated emergency braking (AEB) systems the non-destructive testing of such systems has a great impact. These systems, initially developed for the front end, are now established on the market and help to reduce the frequency of accidents. The effects and optimization potentials for assistance systems have also been further investigated in 2020 by the accident research department of the AZT with bachelor's and master's theses based on real damage cases.

One of the findings from such studies is that insurers now make a large - and increasing - proportion of their comprehensive and motor liability payments for damage that occurs during parking and maneuvering. Besides the studies the AZT therefore continued to work actively in the international RCAR working group P-Safe on the further development of test standards for new emergency braking systems that also detect obstacles to the side or rear and brake automatically. Such tests require a high level of metrological effort and are therefore very complex.

In the field of training, public relations and administration, this year 2020 was all about digitalization.

The training program was completely converted to online training at very short notice due to corona and we succeeded in implementing 41 training topics spread over 49 training days, reaching over 400 participants. Also the international AZT event with a long tradition, the "AZT Summit" could be held virtually in a shorter version and the international know-how exchange was guaranteed also in the corona year.

The administrative tasks of the AZT were restructured and also in this area various processes were digitalized. Above all, the corona-related additional requirements were handled in the best possible way.

The annual highlight of public relations, the Allianz Motor Day, also took place virtually this year and for the first time internationally as the "Allianz Motor Day" in English.

In 2020 a medium-term project around classic cars started at the AZT. Here we are dealing in detail with two cars from the 1970s. All aspects of these vehicles will be considered, one vehicle will remain in its original condition, the other will be professionally restored. All this is conveyed to Allianz colleagues in the course of training sessions held by the claims field service.

In the area of repair technology and painting, various projects were worked on and also widely communicated in the industry. These include, among others, a resolution on the topic of driver assistance systems in vehicle repair, clarifications and updates on the AZT paint calculation system, and an investigation of corona-related additional expenses in vehicle disinfection together with the ZKF and IFL.

November 2020

The AZT Paint Calculation System defines a wide range of paint stages for new plastic parts. These stages should be selected appropriately, especially based on the respective delivery condition, in order to enable correct calculation of the paint work to be carried out. In addition, the paint system used by the paint specialist in combination with the color shade to be painted may also affect the correct paint stage. As this has repeatedly led to queries in the past, AZT has prepared a detailed overview of the various plastic paint levels in combination with the delivery condition and the painting work to be carried out.

This is intended to provide all users of the AZT Paint Calculation System with assistance going beyond the system description in order to avoid different understandings between the parties involved (experts & repair shops, insurance companies & experts, insurance companies & repair shops, ...). Thus, all parties involved in the damage process receive a basis for the settlement of bills according to the AZT Paint Calculation, which reduces queries, discussions and delays.

The supplementary document to the system description of the AZT Paint Calculation can be found in the download area of the AZT homepage under "Paint" or can be accessed directly here.

October 2020

For several decades, experts at the AZT have been investigating the protection potential of vehicle seats in rear-end collisions and researching how this protection potential can be further improved. In 2004 the validation of a dummy with a biofunctional spinal column specially developed for rear-end collisions was completed in cooperation with an international working group. Since 2008 the "BioRid-II" dummy has also been established in consumer protection tests.

The AZT is the only institute in the world that not only uses this dummy in isolation from the vehicle on a seat test component crash facility but also examines the overall system of vehicle and seat with the BioRid-II dummy on the driver's seat.

In almost every crash according to the RCAR standard (structure and bumper rear), but also in vehicle-vehicle collision tests, the vehicle and seat must prove that they would provide good protection for the occupants in accordance with the EURO NCAP consumer protection criteria. In this way, it can be continuously checked whether and to what extent the continuously developed vehicle structural elements have an effect on the occupant load in rear-end collisions.

In 2020 the AZT published an article in the trade journal "VKU - Verkehrsunfall und Fahrzeugtechnik" (VKU - Traffic Accident and Vehicle Technology), which shows that the dummy measurement values of the neck shear and neck shear forces, as well as those of the differential acceleration between the upper body and the head in a rear-end collision, have decreased significantly over the years.

With the adaptation of the Euro NCAP consumer protection criteria in January 2020, the further increase in the protection potential of the seats will be pushed forward so that high acceleration peaks of the vehicle body in a rear-end collision are transmitted to the occupants as flattened as possible and the occupant load is further reduced for the same accident intensity.

The complete article was published in the VKU, issue 5/2020 and is available for registered users (in German language only, part 1 and part 2).

September 2020

Modern vehicles are computer networks on wheels. Million lines of software code, control units and sensor technology enable new mobility concepts, extra comfort and increased driving safety. They are paving the way to automated driving. However, computer networks are constant targets of cyber-attacks and such attacks on vehicles can not only cause financial damage, but also endanger lives.

Hacker attacks on connected ecosystems are anything but an unrealistic possibility. “Alongside the logistics and energy sector, connected cars may become one of the main targets of IT crime,” said Klaus-Peter Röhler, a member of the Management Board of Allianz SE and CEO of Allianz Deutschland AG.

Such risk scenarios and their implications for insurance were discussed by an expert panel consisting of Hans Adlkofer (Vice President Automotive Systems, Infineon Technologies AG), Rico Förster (Head of Commercial Motor, Global P&C, Allianz SE), Prof. Dr. Rudolf Hackenberg (Technical computer science and information security, Ostbayerische Technische Hochschule Regensburg), Jochen Haug (Chief Claims Officer and Member of the Board of Management of Allianz Versicherungs-AG), Prof. Dr. Christoph Krauß (Cyber-Physical Systems and Automotive Security, The Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT), Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser (Managing Director Allianz Center for Technology) and Conrad Meyer (Digital Forensics, Central Office for Information Technology in the Security Sector, ZITiS)

Due to the current situation around Covid-19, the Allianz Motor Day was held for the first time as a Europe-wide digital press event and the expert panel was broadcasted via online stream. The audience consisting of international press and industry representatives followed the event digitally and there was the possibility to ask questions to the panelists via online form.

A summary of the event and accompanying material (including speeches of the Allianz board members and press releases on the topic) can be accessed via the following link:

https://events.techcast.cloud/en/allianz-deutschland/allianz-autotag

In the context of the event Allianz also published its positions on IT security in connected vehicles, which are summarized here

• To confront cyberchallenges effectively, Allianz is calling for a European solution for a multi-industry Automotive Security Information Center. The center’s primary purpose would be to ensure by pooling of competencies that the mobility ecosystem is able to prepare for, and respond to, security threats, vulnerabilities and incidents, so that everyone involved can best manage their business risks and the risks to customers and third parties.
• Vehicle insurance will cover the consequences of accidents after hacker attacks. But if a vehicle malfunctions and an accident results, the car owner has a right to know whether that was the result of a hacker attack. In addition to the measures called for at the 7th Allianz Motor Day for using vehicle data to investigate accidents in connected and smart cars, future cyberattacks should also be recorded by an independent data trustee. Such records could be kept in compliance with the data protection laws without transmitting personal information. Recording cyberattacks could also serve to develop protective mechanism and avert future damage.
• Vehicle manufacturers are responsible for preventing hacker attacks on their digital platforms that communicate with the vehicle. It’s up to the vehicle manufacturers to ensure that vehicles, and especially their automated systems, work without disruption, and to cover the costs of remedying defects. But Allianz will provide benefits for the consequences of accidents, and also for mere disruptions of function in the event of attacks on an individual vehicle
   

July 2020

One mobility trend is the increasing electrification and the new forms of mobility resulting from it. Among other things the spread of electric cars is expected to increase rapidly. The drivers for this include consumer demand and current political efforts to combat climate change.

In addition to the opportunities offered by electromobility, new challenges are also emerging for manufacturers, suppliers and insurers. Allianz's industrial insurer, AGCS, has addressed these issues in a comprehensive report that provides a general overview of the current market situation in the field of e-mobility and the current assessment of the resulting risks, especially for manufacturers and insurance companies.

The AZT has been working on the subject of electric vehicles, their technical specifications and special features as well as their crash behaviour for many years. Some of the AZT's findings have therefore been incorporated into the AGCS report. The complete report in English can be downloaded here.

June 2020

The regular exchange with users of the AZT paint calculation system has shown several times that there is potential for optimisation in the use of the AZT paint calculation system despite the detailed and freely accessible system description.

The AZT team was repeatedly approached about identical aspects, particularly in the context of paint time and material studies. In order to minimize potential false interpretation and the resulting inconsistencies the forced pause in time and material studies caused by the corona pandemic has now been intensively used to comprehensively revise the system description in recent weeks, making it more precise in numerous places and supplementing it with case studies.

As usual the updated system description is available to download for free in German and English.

All the additions and clarifications that have now been incorporated will certainly not be the last changes to the system description of the AZT paint calculation.

With the completion and evaluation of the time and material studies, the system description will also be updated again, and ideas for user-friendly adjustments are already available. A contribution describing the procedure for the time and material studies can be downloaded here (in German language only).

June 2020

"Every classic car is much more than just an automobile. It's a piece of art that happens to drive (Ing. Richard Kaan).“

Which heart of an automobile fan doesn't beat faster when a well-preserved classic car with an interesting history is standing right in front of him? And it is not only among classic car enthusiasts that these vehicles cause enthusiasm. Many people who are not otherwise very much involved in the subject also like old cars that are already visually striking and arouse childhood memories and other emotions.

The AZT, with its almost 50-year history, has examined various vehicles in various research projects over the past decades which in the meantime have long been classified as classic cars. A classic car is a car that was first registered for traffic at least 30 years ago.

However these vehicles are not only art objects or collector's items, so-called "garage gold". Even if they are rather rare in the overall vehicle market there is nevertheless a not inconsiderable number of classic cars. Today, according to figures from the German Kraftfahrtbundesamt, there are about 750,000 cars on our roads in Germany that are over 30 years old and which are occasionally involved in accidents, so that they also play a role in the damage caused. The AZT has already addressed this issue in an earlier evaluation of claims

Due to the rarity of these vehicles and their special features very specific challenges arise for the experts who assess damage of a classic car. Which spare parts are available on the market? What is the right repair method to preserve the substance of the vehicle as much as possible? What is the overall value of the vehicle to be assessed? When assessing the value of the vehicle, other factors play a role than in the case of modern passenger cars. For example, the history of the vehicle must also be taken into account. These are only a few questions to which the expert should have answers ready in individual cases.

General information and special training on the subject of classic cars are therefore an important part of the training of experts. AZT´s experts  are starting a longer-term project to the subject of classic cars and will prepare 2 vehicles for training purposes over the next months. Various disciplines of automotive engineering will be involved in this project and will work together. From body repair and painting to electronics and vehicle mechanics. In addition, these vehicles, which have been selected according to defined criteria, will be used to graphically illustrate developments in automotive technology over the past decades.

A first vehicle has already been bought for this purpose, a mint-green BMW E21 type 318. The E21 series was the first BMW 3 series and was built from 1975 to 1983.

Our vehicle is from the production year 1975 and has a 4-cylinder gasoline engine with 72KW/ 98hp. The BMW was in first ownership until 2006. We were able to purchase the vehicle from the third owner who had held it since 2013.

Volker Wulle, head of the classic car project at AZT, reports on the plans with the vehicle in the near future:

"First of all we will take care of the technical aspects of the vehicle. There are oil leaks in the engine and transmission, the carburettor has to be reset and the clutch will probably need to be replaced. The BMW will be registered and will be moved once in a while to avoid damage to the car and to check repairs. In order to be able to demonstrate the excellent condition of this vehicle at our expert training courses, we plan to have the underbody blasted with dry ice and then professionally preserve the result. Otherwise, the BMW will remain as far as possible as it now presents itself. The modified chassis with the two-tone aluminum rims from BBS is absolutely contemporary and we believe that such modifications are worth preserving just as much as absolute original conditions. The body and the interior of the vehicle present themself in the unrestored original condition which we would like to preserve as far as possible".

For further training purposes for our motor experts, the purchase of a second vehicle is planned, a Mercedes of the series W123. Extensive repair work on the bodywork of this vehicle will be carried out.

We will report on the further progress of the project and the further history of our classic cars on our website at regular intervals in the upcoming period.

It's worth taking a look!

More on the topic:

Article about the purchase of the Mercedes 240D, year of construction 1981

Article about fuel loss at BMW 318 - A little petrol story

May 2020

As a matter of fact, dogs are regarded as cargo in the sense of the German road traffic regulations and must be secured during the journey. The market offers various systems for this purpose and the Allianz Center for Technology AZT has tested samples for their practical suitability and crash safety using dog dummies. In most cases, the different securing systems are more uncomfortable for the dog owner in terms of handling than for the dog itself.

A safety system not only helps the dog to find a safe and comfortable position in the vehicle during normal driving manoeuvres, but also during emergency braking or evasive manoeuvres. Thus most dogs get used to it quickly to stay more relaxed during the journey. Hence the driver is also less distracted by the dog. An unsecured dog, however, can move freely in the vehicle, cannot find a secure foothold, can obstruct the driver's view and distract him dangerously.

Finally, in the event of an accident, an unsecured dog is not only considerably endangered itself, it also precipitates a serious risk of injury for the occupants due to its mass and the enormous physical forces. After an accident, an unsecured dog in a frightened, possibly injured state, can endanger helpers and other road users. And also a dog trying to protect the owner can become a danger for helpers and car passengers.

The crash tests performed by AZT have impressively shown that dogs must be secured according to their size and weight. Dog owners should consider the following references:

The securing system (whether belt, harness or box) must bear a test certificate for crash safety according to ECE R17.

The securing system must be designed for the weight and size of the dog.

Read and understand the manufacturer's instructions on the safety system and how to use it appropriately.

The safest place for a dog is in a lashed and firmly closed dog transport box in the cargo area.

The box must be secured with suitable lashing straps and must not load the backrest of the rear seat bench during normal operation.

The seat belts of unoccupied rear seats can be additionally fastened in order to absorb loads on the backrest in the event of an accident.

Only smaller dogs up to a maximum mass of 7 kg can be buckled up on the rear seat with  special belt and harness systems, because harnesses generally provide too much freedom of movement and can be harmful for the dog due to an excessive jerk when tightened in an accident.

For dogs up to medium weight and size there are crash-proof transport boxes for the rear seats available. These boxes can also be secured with additional straps or even better using Isofix mounts.

Drive carefully and with foresight.

Taking these AZT tips into account, your dog will hopefully be happy to accompany you in the vehicle as long and as safe as possible.

The AZT wishes you and your pet a safe journey!

March 2020

UNECE WP.29 faces significant challenges in formulating UN regulations for the approval, homologation and operation of automated and autonomous vehicles. Out of 13 important safety issues that need to be regulated in detail, one main topic is the recording of accident and incident data to clarify accidents involving automated vehicles in mixed traffic. In addition the basis for the clarification of traffic offences is to be created. 

An informal IWG EDR / DSSAD working group is currently working intensively on the definition of an Event Data Recorder (EDR) for conventional vehicles (mandatory in the EU from 2022) and an EDR for automated vehicles. As a member of the informal working group, the Allianz Center for Technology contributes the position of Allianz and the perspective of the insurance industry.

On the one hand, this paper presents the relevance and the need for EDR data based on real insurance claims on German highways. On the other hand, it examines which data an EDR should record in the future to ensure objective accident investigation within a reasonable amount of time.

The research work was technically supported by the University of Technology Ingolstadt (THI), the European Association for Accident Research and Accident Reconstruction (EVU) and the TÜV Süd.

March 2020

Especially in the last few years the market penetration of these driver assistance systems has risen significantly. The assessment and repair of damages is more complex as the additional technology is installed in these vehicles.
 
Under the lead of the AZT, a joint resolution on damage repair for vehicles with driver assistance systems was therefore elaborated together with representatives of vehicle manufacturers, body and paint associations, assessors and insurance companies. The aim of this resolution is to establish a common understanding for all parties involved in the claims process with regard to a technically correct approach to the assessment and repair of driver assistance systems. The annual meeting of the German Committee for Standards in Paint and Bodywork (Deutsche Kommission für Lack und Karosserieinstandsetzung) took place at the AZT on March 3rd 2020. One of the outcomes was the adoption of “the resolution on damage repair for vehicles with driver assistance systems“.
A free copy of the original resolution in German language can be downloaded here.
An English translation of this document is also available.
 

February 2020

In times of increasing automation and connection these data become more and more extensive. Since vehicle assistance systems today do not prevent every accident but can certainly have a significant influence, event-related data from the vehicle has become absolutely essential for accident investigation. In Germany, the amendment to the Road Traffic Act (§ 63a StVG) has for the first time regulated data processing, including data recording in the sense of a driving mode memory (DSSAD), for highly and fully automated vehicles. However the data elements defined therein are not sufficient to clarify the causes of accidents and the associated liability issues. The General Safety Regulation of the EU, revised in 2019, requires the storage of event and driving mode data from 2022 onwards. However the specification of this data by a UNECE regulation is still pending. 

Allianz SE has taken a position on this issue and is claiming for the storage of a standardized minimum set of data following an accident as well as the transparent handling of this data. 

Enclosed is a short video interview with Dr. Lauterwasser on the storage and use of data, especially in automated driving:
 

For more details please visit the following links:

• Allianz Position Paper on Accident Data from Connected and Automated Vehicles

• poster of the AHEAD working group as PDF (in german language only)
  

• poster on the data custodian concept as PDF (in german language only)

January 2020

The CES (formal known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is one of the world's largest trade fairs for consumer electronics. Due to the increasing merging of automotive engineering, mechatronics, electronics, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and information and communication technology, the show has become one of the most important industry meetings for the automotive industry for about a decade, especially with regard to electromobility and automation. This is partly because german and international manufacturers and suppliers have shifted many developments relevant to automated driving to the USA and China. 
 

The main objective of the DVR delegation was to view and realistically assess the current developments and innovations in the field of road safety worldwide. In a tight program and many presentations, e.g. at the booths of Audi, Bosch, BMW, Continental, Mercedes and Valeo, the DVR delegation members discussed the safety potential and possible implementation scenarios of automated driving functions with the experts. In this context, it became clear that since the still rather rudimentary developments with full-bodied announcements in January 2016, there are now often functions for automated driving that are ready for series production. At the same time the estimation of future developments has become much more realistic. The focus has changed from fully autonomous driving to cooperative driving as well as partially and fully automated functions in defined areas (so-called Operational Design Domains). This development is promising for road safety on the way to "Vision Zero". In particular the discussions showed the increasing performance of the systems through further developed sensor technology, networking and powerful data processing in the coming vehicle generations.

October 2019

As representatives of the AZT, Dr. Christoph Lauterwasser and Carsten Reinkemeyer have participated the conference. This is the first time that the RCAR annual conference was held in China, and according to Haimao Jia, president of CIRI, it is a great honor for the institute to host this event and welcome RCAR members and their partners to Beijing.

42 experts from the insurers' research institutes dealt with the following significant topics, among others:

Jaewon Lee (KART) from Korea now leads the ADAS working group which deals with the effects of the repair methodology on sensor technology; calibration methodology and diagnostic equipment.

In relation to electromobility the current damage of batteries and its effects on the insurance industry were discussed with regard to a) the manufacturer's regulation and b) the reduction effect of insurers.

Exchange on the current status of autonomous and connected vehicles & cyber security.